Big Al's Coming to Boynton

"Big Al" Costilo, the cheerful purveyor of rigorously authentic Philly cheese steaks from locations in Coconut Creek and Delray Beach, will open his first franchise this summer on Congress Avenue in Boynton Beach.

The menu featuring Philadelphia's iconic sammie and its reliance on direct-from-Philly bread and thinly sliced (never chopped) rib eye will remain the same, but the eatery itself will be considerably grander than the counter-only, sidewalk-table Big Al's on Atlantic Avenue, with 40 seats indoors and a dozen or so on an outdoor patio.

Big Al isn't thinking small either. He's already looking at another location in Palm Beach County and hopes to expand the Big Al's chain throughout the South, beginning with Florida, Alabama, and Georgia. That's "wit Whiz," in case you're wondering.